The end of podcasting, chapter 60

Well, my faithful readers, it’s time for the next chapter of my ongoing documentary of the end of podcasting (it’s been over a year since I last addressed this topic!). I listened to a podcast on podcasting recently (saw it on Dave Winer’s linkblog), and suddenly felt myself turning into Keith Olbermann….no….stop…stop!….

Recently, I finished listening to an episode of the On The Media podcast, which had two stories about podcasting. The first story was something of an origin story, and was glad that Dave Winer and Adam Curry got a mention. It was interesting that Kevin Marks was a featured interviewee, as a person who created a script to copy podcasts to iPods back in the early 2000s. I have not thought of Kevin as someone who was a primary or secondary player in the development of podcasting, so it was curious how he made it into this segment. The show focused on the impact Apple has had on podcasting, with the main feature being that Apple maintains a directory of podcasts based on submissions from podcast producers. This is it? This is how Apple controls podcasting? The producers left out how there is another podcast directory maintained by Adam Curry and his group PodcastIndex.org. The producers also seemed to forget that there are some little things called…wait for it… search engines…I think one of them is called Google…The second story was about the business of podcasting, reviewing the ups and downs of the “podcasting industry” since 2014, and the cost of producing “prestige podcasts” (I had never heard that before!) or long-form journalism podcasts as opposed to “talk show” podcasts or other interview podcasts requiring much less resources to produce. I am sorry to have to bring this up – but – WHO CARES? Do people write stories about production company problems for television networks or streaming services? Do people get upset that Disney+ has not made a profit? Why do people think that the podcasting industry is a “darling” that should be mourned over or lamented about economic downturns? Get a life, people! If an organization is spending more money than it brings in income, they either figure out ways to increase revenue or cut expenses, or say goodbye! The technical term, I believe is called “business”. Whether it is a publicly funded organization (NPR, WNYC) or commercial companies (Spotify, Gimlet Media, iHeart), the business aspects are the same. Let’s get out there and compete people! Come on!

Keith Olbermann taking over this post…

Whew…what happened? Hmm, looks like someone named Keith left me a podcast….wonder what it sounds like?